3 Eye-Opening Techniques to Wake Up Your Readers with Your First Sentence

“I was only four years old when I saw my mother load up a washing machine for the very first time in her life …”

That is global health and data expert Hans Rosling’s opening line of a 2010 TED Talk, as he stands on stage with a bundle of laundry and a washing machine. Rosling does what the best presenters in the world excel at; in a matter of seconds, they get and keep your attention.

When you write content, your job is similar to someone standing on stage. Your readers are distracted and you have mere seconds to get their attention.

To grab and keep your audience’s attention, it’s best to use at least one attention-grabbing method that yanks your readers into your articles by creating intense curiosity.

Want to know three methods I recommend? Keep reading …

3 ways to hook your readers

In this article, I’ll present the following three attention-grabbing techniques, with examples of how they can be used in your content:

Method #1: Story of a demonstration

Method #2: Case study

Method #3: Opposing stance

Method #1: Story of a demonstration

Notice how this article started with a description of Hans Rosling standing on stage.

And what was he doing on stage? He was holding a bundle of laundry while standing next to a washing machine. He then proceeds to talk about the process of washing clothes. While he goes about the demonstration, your eyes are riveted to what he’s going to do next.

Rosling is lucky — he’s on stage and can do a physical demonstration. But when you write an article, you have to tell a story about a demonstration instead.

To do this, roll out your story as if the audience were watching and listening to find out what happens next. When you use a “demonstration” to start an article, the most mundane actions come to life.

Let’s say I wrote:

“Have you ever tried to peel a clove of garlic before? If you’ve done it the old-fashioned way, you’ve probably taken five minutes or more to separate the cloves, cut each clove in half, and peel off the skin. But what if you could peel the garlic in 10 seconds? Here’s what to do: Hit the garlic with the base of your palm so the cloves separate. Then take the separated cloves, put them in a container and cover it with another container. Then shake the heck out of the garlic and — like magic — the garlic is peeled.”

In the example above, you followed along, didn’t you?

Not only did you follow along, you wanted to know what came next.

When you use a story that involves a demonstration, you pull the reader through your content. Then once you’ve gotten to the end of your story, you simply connect it to the rest of your article.

Rosling’s washing machine demonstration may seem like a mundane example, but when placed at the start of an article, it forces you to follow along to find out what happens next.

A demonstration is only one way to get your readers’ attention. The second is a case study.

Method #2: Case study

Did you know Airbnb was suffering as a company until Barry Manilow’s drummer became a customer?

Sound interesting? Case studies — whether historical or current — attract readers because they want to know what happens next and why things unfolded the way they did.

Why was Airbnb in trouble in the first place? What’s the weird connection between Airbnb and Barry Manilow’s drummer? And how does all of this connect to the rest of the article?

As the Airbnb story goes, the founders were keen to offer accommodations similar to bed and breakfasts. That required the owner to be around when a guest arrived and stay in the house or apartment as well. But Barry Manilow’s drummer didn’t want just a room; he wanted an entire apartment.

That was a pivotal moment for Airbnb. And here’s the connection to the rest of the article:

We often formulate our own ideas when clients have much better suggestions for how we can run our businesses. By listening to their real customers, Airbnb found a way to offer lodging that has broad appeal.

See how the story got your attention? Remember how the washing machine demonstration kept you riveted?

Well, there’s one more method. It’s called the “opposing stance.”

Method #3: Opposing stance

An opposing stance is when you present an argument that seems to conflict with your own headline.

Let’s say you’re writing an article on “how to learn quickly.” In the first paragraph, you would offer a point of opposition.

You could deride “speed reading” and talk about how reading faster merely exposes you to more information, rather than creating a lasting understanding of the topic you’re reading about.

You’ll then explain that while slowing down and taking notes may seem time-consuming, it’s the most efficient way to retain what you’ve learned.

You teach your audience “how to learn quickly” — it’s just different from what they might be expecting to hear, so it wakes them up and gets them to focus on your content.

Keep your audience fascinated

Hans Rosling speaks about global health and data. They’re complex topics that audiences might have trouble connecting to, but Rosling’s speeches are adored by the public. And there’s a good reason why — he’ll use demonstrations, case studies, and even the power of opposition in a single speech.

He’ll start off with one concept, then move his way through the information and bring up the other elements — forcing you to pay rapt attention.

Great speakers know that the audience is restless. They know the previous speaker may have bored them out of their minds with graphs and endless facts and figures. That’s why they use stories, case studies, and opposition.

So, when you write, take a cue from a great speaker to keep your readers absorbed as you take them through the rest of your article.

Sean D'Souza

Sean D'Souza runs a zany marketing site at Psychotactics and deconstructs headlines in his spare time. Learn how to assemble (and audit) your headlines in seconds with Sean's powerful headline report, when you subscribe to the Psychotactics Newsletter. And don't miss his binge-worthy, music-filled podcast, The Three Month Vacation.

Reader Comments (28)

Great Tips Sean!
I opinion first paragraph is much important than the rest of other content. Because of the readers just read the first line, and if they don’t like it they will leave the website.
again thanks
Cheers
Mohsin Arif

Yes, the past and the present is about story telling. It’s always been that way. And the future, that’s about storytelling too. Good luck with your blog. But you don’t need luck. You just need to keep working at storytelling.

I totally love the first 2 methods and they are something I really need… I am running a health blog in a country where people are more interested in increasing their pockets than getting fit and healthy..

It is like you are dealing with a market (blog readers) that barely exists and the ones that exist are barely interested in your article ..

One of the most fascinated things I’ve learned over the past few years is ‘storytelling’. I absolutely loved it when I read your method #1. I’ve learned the hard way. People get curious to know the stories (of people) they can relate to or to get inspired from. It was definitely a fantastic piece of content.

Sean,
You’ve certainly kept me glued to your article—even after I had read other articles until my head hurt. It is concise, easy to read, and to the point. Paragraphs are short, sometimes only one sentence in length, and sentences are relatively short as well. Beautiful.

Placing Rosling’s demonstration at the beginning of this article actually prepared the reader for your demonstration of peeling a clove of garlic. The latter, for a lack of words to describe my feelings, felt so real. It’s as if I was watching you doing it.

Actually, using all 3 techniques in one article—if not a difficult thing to do—would be quite interesting to try, just as you have done here. In all its simplicity, that article is quite skilfully written. Thank you for the lesson.

Sean, I certainly will try that way of peeling garlic from now on—I hate peeling garlic the traditional way. More importantly, I will put your 3 techniques to work in my blog posts. I am in the process of starting a new blog, and these techniques are truly valuable as is your way to writing. Thank you.

As soon as I have some free time (from starting a blog, etc…) I will register for your membership “cave.” Until then, thank you again.